Founded in 2014 the Cotswolds distillery does in fact hail from the Cotswolds, not only is the distillery located here but they also source all their barley from here too..

Pride in the local area demands they use locally sourced ingredients and although some things are beyond this what can be sourced certainly seems to be done so.

Once the barley is harvested then it is sent to Britain’s oldest maltings located in Warminster, the malting is done traditionally, on the floor !

Everything is done on a small scale compared to the typical Scottish counterparts, fermentation is around the 90 hour mark which is longer than most distilleries tend to do but there is a thought that slightly longer fermentation does give off a more fruity side to the spirit so we will see..

Double Distillation takes part on day 5 with the first wash ( Mary )  taking 2,500 litres before ( Janis) the 1600 litre spirit still does her magic.

The distillery also produces Gin but that is  not today’s topic so back to the whisky..

Sherry Matured Single Malt whisky – Cotswolds

Distillery.. Cotswolds

Region.. Uk

Age.. Nas

Abv.. 57.4%

Casks.. Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez from both American and European oak.

Nose.. An initial burst of cinnamon and dates swimming in a sweet syrup, orange peels and dark chocolate that mingles with espresso coffee, cinder toffee and peanut brittle.

Palate.. Dates, raisins and plum showcase first with bitter chocolate, coffee beans and ginger biscuits sending this left field.. Orange peels and a little black forest gateau bring this firmly back to the sherried style.

Finish.. Some bitterness develops but soon gives way to an earthy oak note..

Thoughts.. English whisky is certainly starting to develop itself and whilst distilleries like The Cotswolds are able to offer whiskies like this, there is only good in their futures.. Boasting to be using as local as possible and being true to the local environment the distillery does feel like it is doing everything right, the liquid is certainly starting to gather a following, the chatter is very positive and from what i have tasted i can only see a bright future ahead..

Find it HERE..

With thanks to the Cotswolds distillery for the official sample for review purposes only..